You Are Beautiful
by cakeengland
Summary: Aqua has been feeling self-conscious about her appearance lately. Terra decides to step in, with unexpected results. Terra/Aqua.


_A/N: Or, "The story in which Aqua and Terra both have feelings for each other, but Aqua doesn't realize and Terra tries dropping hints but ultimately fails."_

I'm sorry for any OOC-ness. I actually haven't finished watching Birth by Sleep yet, oops. That aside, this is my first time writing these characters. This really doesn't take place at any particular point, but canon-wise, I guess it would technically be pre-BBS?

Anyway, this is dedicated to anyone who has ever felt self-conscious about their appearances. I have, and it isn't a nice feeling. Remember- each and every one of you are beautiful/handsome individuals, both outside and inside.

* * *

 _You are beautiful._

Aqua stared at the message scrawled messily on her mirror in erasable marker. She was torn between smiling and frowning. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the gesture, but when the message was written on every mirror in the castle, it got endearing. What would Master Eraqus say?

Sighing, she turned towards the door, intent on paying a visit to a certain friend of hers. She needed to have a little chat with Terra.

She knew it was Terra for two reasons. The first was that the messy handwriting unmistakably belonged to the brunet. The second was because he was the only one she had mentioned her concerns to. It had been an offhand comment during a training session, one she had assumed he had ignored. Apparently not.

When she arrived at Terra's room, the door was already slightly ajar. This wasn't surprising, as her childhood friend often left it open, but this time Aqua couldn't help but feel that something was different. Shrugging it off, she stepped inside.

Terra was sitting on his bed, a book opened in his lap, although she could tell he wasn't really registering a single word on the page.

"Can I help you, Aqua?" Terra questioned, without lifting his gaze. The blue-haired mage was taken aback. How had he known it was her? Had he- oh.

"You've been expecting me," she stated, mentally slapping herself for realizing it sooner. This time, Terra did look up.

"I won't deny that," Terra replied, closing his book and setting it aside. "Aqua, I know you're not pleased about what I did. But I needed to get the message across."

"Well, you certainly succeeded with that," Aqua retorted.

"Just hear me out, okay?" the brunet requested. She sighed, but relented, waiting in expectant silence. "Aqua, what you said surprised me. I don't know why you'd consider yourself anything other than beautiful." Terra stood, making his way over to the female figure leaning against the creamy walls. He reached out to gently brush her cheek with his fingertips. Aqua felt her face heat up at the touch, but made no effort to pull away. In fact, she liked it, not that she'd admit that out loud. But within the privacy of her skull, she reasoned it was okay.

Terra pulled his hand away, and the bluenette willed herself not to sigh in disappointment. "You're the prettiest girl I know," he continued. "I'm sure many people would be envious of your beauty."

Idly, Aqua noticed her earlier frustration with Terra had more or less vanished. Any remnants of it seemed insignificant when compared with his current proximity…

Her friend took a step back, and the spell lifted. Briefly, she wondered why she had reacted that way. It didn't make any sense… did it?

"You're blushing," Terra commented. Aqua felt a stab of unexplained nervousness.

"I am?" The question spilled past her lips without consulting her brain first. "I don't know why…"

Terra smiled. It was a knowing smile, one that made her feel uneasy for reasons she couldn't explain. "That's weird. Hey, could you help me with the spell I was studying when you came in? I just don't get it."

Just like that, everything was back to normal. Aqua found herself laughing as she replied, "Sure."

* * *

Groggily, Aqua blinked open her eyes. Her head was swimming, and she groaned in pain as she tried to move.

"Hey there, princess. You okay?" She flicked her gaze to the right to see Terra standing over her. His tone was teasing, but his expression was flooded with concern.

"I feel half-dead," she replied, her head falling back onto a nest of pillows. Slowly, her memory began to trickle back into her conscious mind. She had been helping Terra with a spell, and somehow that had turned into sparring, and…

"No small wonder- I kinda…" Terra inhaled sharply, and he reached out to touch the side of her head, near her fringe. His fingers were coated in a sticky, crimson liquid when he brought his hand away. "Oh my gosh… Aqua, I'm so _sorry."_

Well, that explained the headache. Not to mention the constantly doubling and tripling vision. "It's okay… I'll just heal myself…" She raised a hand to the cut, (despite how limp her limbs felt) and attempted to cast Curaga. Nothing happened.

At this sight, all of Terra's composure melted away. Aqua found herself looking at a completely different person, one full of guilt and remorse. "I did this," he whispered, staring at the crimson stream trickling down the side of her face. _"I_ did _this…"_

"Terra, stop it." She tried to grasp one of his hands, but failed. However, he noticed the gesture and stepped in for her, wrapping the hand she reached out with in both of his. "It was a genuine accident. We just need to go to Master Eraqus. He'll fix it."

"No!" Terra exclaimed suddenly. Aqua looked at him curiously, wondering why he was so freaked out by the idea. "Aqua, I can't. What if I get banned from training with you because I hurt you?"

"Why would he do that?" Aqua gently queried. "Terra, you're overreacting."

Terra inhaled a deep breath to calm himself. "Yeah, I know. Still… just stay with me, please?"

She studied her friend's face, despite her currently unreliable vision. "Okay," she agreed, seeing genuine fear in his expression.

"Thank you." Terra sat down next to her, before swinging his legs up so he was lying next to her, their arms just barely touching. Aqua found herself blushing for the second time that day, and she still had no idea why.

"Terra?" Once again, she was speaking without processing her words first.

"Yes?"

"If this injury leaves a scar, will I still be beautiful?" Aqua wasn't sure why she'd asked. What was wrong with her?

"Of course." The brunet offered her a small smile. "It'd take more than that to ruin such perfection."

"Thanks," she murmured. Her eyes had slipped shut; she figured her injury must have been making her sleepy.

"Sleep, Aqua," Terra commanded gently. He'd noticed it too? She was a little surprised when something gently parted her blue locks- Terra was combing her hair with his fingers. "You need to rest."

As though a switch had been hit, a wave of drowsiness washed over her. She let it sweep throughout her body, succumbing to the dark realm of sleep. As she began to lose consciousness, she felt something gently brush her forehead.

"Goodnight, Aqua. I-"

She never heard the end of that sentence.

* * *

 _A/N: Yes, I just interrupted Terra's confession of love. Problem?_

 _In all seriousness though, I know this story says complete, but I'm thinking of writing a sequel. What say you guys?_


End file.
